Octopus's Garden
You can't help being suspicious about the Greeks if you ever see how they treat their octopuses. The scenes of violence you can witness along the 16,000 kilometres of Greek coast are too shocking... Full Story
Haute Cuisine in Kurkizhaba
There is a peculiar type of people living in northern Bulgaria. They name their villages Kravoder, Kurkizhaba or Studeno Buche; ride bikes or donkeys; raise fledglings in a bucket; and give their... Full Story
Boudain Noir à la Prilep
In France, they have been making boudain for at least 1000 years, using at least 100 different recipes. On the Balkans, they have been making boudain for at least 1000 years, using at least 100... Full Story
Balkan Culinary Wars I: Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece in a Ruthless Fight over a Greasy Snack
A dozen modifications of the same dish are at the bottom of a deep culinary dispute on the Balkans. The Bulgarian banitsa, the Serbian gibanica, the Greek pita, the Macedonian maznik and the... Full Story
The Truffle Rush
The Istria Peninsula in Northern Croatia is the Klondike of the culinary world. Every October, among the Motovun forests near the Livade village and along the banks of the Mirna River, there are... Full Story
From Börek to Kadin-Göbek
Aubergines are in their element here. They are everywhere – dark, shiny and elegant, lined up next to one another as if ready for a feast. It is a little known fact that this noble vegetable is... Full Story
Sour Cabbage for Bitter Bulgarian Winter
Most Europeans associate sour cabbage with a film scene in which the French comedian Louis de Funès demonstrated the consequences of its consumption. We get the French sense of humour and there is... Full Story
Double, Double, Toil and Trouble, Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
During the height of winter the Balkans destroy their treasures. But this is not some kind of season of vandalism; it is rather a period of sweet pleasures – the treasures are culinary and they... Full Story
Serbians' Buttery Pride
Like all nations, the people of the Balkans also have their culinary obsessions: the Turks put aubergines over everything, the Greeks – oregano, and the Bulgarians – a herb known as... Full Story
Urfa Kebab, Çig Köfte
Once in a local restaurant in Urfa, most connoisseurs of Turkish cuisine would immediately order the Urfa kebab – the wonderfully tasty pieces of ground meat on a stick, accompanied by lots of... Full Story
Balkan Culinary Wars II: The Epic Battle over a Vegetable Relish
Ajvar, lyutenitsa, zacuscă or biber salçası? The peppers, tomatoes and aubergines purée is to inflame as much hostility as the Macedonian issue a century ago.
The whole thing must have started... Full Story
Culinary (and Other) Delights of Macedonia's Tikvesh Wine Region
In this engaging travel piece, the author recounts a summer expedition into Macedonia’s wine country, and a trip down the country’s ‘other’ lake - Tikvesh, which is also the general name for the... Full Story
Balkan Culinary Wars III: Other People’s Meatballs
Ćevapčići from Leskovac, köfte from İzmir or Bulgarian kebapche? Greek keftedes too, please!
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Turkey Boasts World’s Most Ecologically Clean Tea
Among the nearly 30 countries that produce tea in the world, Turkey is the only one producing ecologically clean tea without chemical additives Full Story
Macedonian Wine to Comply with EU Standards
Macedonia has started to make and analyse wine in line with European standards.
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Bulgaria’s Top 20 Wines
Bulgaria’s top 20 wines were selected in a historical competition – a first of its kind in the country, organised by Bacchus Magazine.
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Singing, Wining and Dining in Bansko
To understand Bansko and to enjoy it, you need to get used to some peculiarities of Balkan nations first. Full Story
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Travel News
6 January 2009 | Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, was included in Frommer’s list of Top Destinations for 2009.
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